Counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky

Despite a relatively low unemployment rate just shy of 4%, as compared to the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Kentucky using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in April 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a “soft landing.” Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers like Amazon to Tesla have sparked concern among Americans. What’s more, unemployment has spiked in nearly half the country’s states, which often indicates a looming recession, an economist told Business Insider. And with sky-high prices after a period of record inflation, savings and unemployment payments may not cover basic expenses for jobless Americans for long.

For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

Still, as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—little changed from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Kentucky.

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#50. Edmonson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,899 people (241 unemployed)

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#49. Montgomery County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,679 people (578 unemployed)

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#48. Whitley County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,696 people (674 unemployed)

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#47. Laurel County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,824 people (1,205 unemployed)

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#46. Christian County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 24,986 people (1,226 unemployed)

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#45. Adair County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 7,510 people (372 unemployed)

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#44. Lincoln County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,389 people (473 unemployed)

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#43. Rowan County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,473 people (519 unemployed)

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#42. Pulaski County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 25,389 people (1,266 unemployed)

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#41. McLean County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,913 people (201 unemployed)

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#40. Estill County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,206 people (264 unemployed)

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#39. Fleming County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,089 people (308 unemployed)

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#38. Bracken County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,785 people (195 unemployed)

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#37. Russell County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,595 people (344 unemployed)

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#36. Hopkins County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 18,753 people (1,012 unemployed)

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#35. Livingston County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,715 people (205 unemployed)

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#34. Wolfe County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,240 people (127 unemployed)

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#33. Lee County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,257 people (129 unemployed)

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#32. Clinton County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,456 people (197 unemployed)

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#31. Morgan County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,531 people (258 unemployed)

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#30. Mason County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,578 people (372 unemployed)

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#29. Wayne County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,985 people (400 unemployed)

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#28. Bell County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,495 people (485 unemployed)

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#27. McCreary County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
— 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,709 people (272 unemployed)

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#26. Robertson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 815 people (48 unemployed)

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#25. Boyd County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 17,276 people (1,014 unemployed)

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#24. Bath County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 1.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,696 people (288 unemployed)

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#23. Perry County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 8,051 people (489 unemployed)

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#22. Ohio County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,106 people (551 unemployed)

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#21. Lawrence County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,808 people (358 unemployed)

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#20. Knox County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,846 people (612 unemployed)

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#19. Jackson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
— 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,282 people (276 unemployed)

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#18. Muhlenberg County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 10,195 people (658 unemployed)

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#17. Owsley County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,153 people (76 unemployed)

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#16. Greenup County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 13,010 people (853 unemployed)

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#15. Letcher County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,059 people (409 unemployed)

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#14. Harlan County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
— 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,521 people (441 unemployed)

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#13. Menifee County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,346 people (163 unemployed)

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#12. Floyd County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
— 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 11,210 people (771 unemployed)

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#11. Knott County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
— 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,295 people (300 unemployed)

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#10. Clay County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
– Total labor force: 5,152 people (362 unemployed)

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#9. Johnson County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 6,838 people (489 unemployed)

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#8. Elliott County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Down 1.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
– Total labor force: 1,922 people (145 unemployed)

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#7. Lewis County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
— 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
— 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 4,513 people (338 unemployed)

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#6. Carter County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
— 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
– Total labor force: 9,715 people (737 unemployed)

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#5. Leslie County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
— 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 2.4 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,543 people (197 unemployed)

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#4. Breathitt County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
— 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,225 people (256 unemployed)

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#3. Pike County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
— 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 3.6 percentage points
– Total labor force: 19,795 people (1,604 unemployed)

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#2. Martin County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%
— 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points
– Total labor force: 2,216 people (201 unemployed)

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#1. Magoffin County

– April unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.7%
— 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
— 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
– Total labor force: 3,213 people (312 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.